VMRCVM Class of 2014!

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Biochem's not that bad. It's parasitology second semester that will get ya.
 
I took parasitology in undergrad; it was my favorite class! What is so awful about vet school parasitology? I heard this from a few other people as well.

I had a question about class notes. Do most people buy the notes? How complete are they? Can you access them via computer or are they only on paper? I had been thinking about getting a tablet. Do you think it would be useful?
 
I would get the notes. Some classes you'll barely glance at them, and others you will be very glad you have them, esp. those professors whose powerpoints seem to consist of nothing but one word bullets and pictures of dogs. Some of the professors are not as tech savvy as others either, and will expect you to have the paper notes for class. I actually have only had to buy a few textbooks because the notes are usually pretty complete.

As for parasitology, you'll have to experience it for yourself. The material is not that hard, there is just lots and lots and lots of it, and the professor expects you to remember every tiny detail.
 
So, I'm going to buy a new laptop and I was entertaining the idea of getting a Mac. However I came across something about Macs not being compatible with some of the histology slides on the CD we are required to purchase. If any current VMRCVMs are reading this, do you know of any of your classmates who have had issues with their Macs and compatibility?

...or thoughts in general about Macs vs PCs from everyone else haha?
 
So I graduated last night from Virginia Tech and went to the big university ceremony. I sat 1 row back from the vet students--who were the loudest and happiest bunch of people there! Congrats WhtsThFrequency and other VMRCVM grads!

Are the inflated gloves a tradition or somebody's idea?
 
I went to NCSU large ceremony today and noticed the inflated glove thing with the vet school grads as well. I wasn't sure what they were for the longest time.
 
They must be tradition...But danged if I know why.

The school specific graduation was yesterday morning. Very bittersweet...Its always so awesome to see the students graduate, but so sad too because you develop relationships and friendships with all of them and then they leave!

And congrats Gilch!!
 
fargeese said:
Biochem's not that bad. It's parasitology second semester that will get ya.
Click to expand...

Hey, I did better in Parasit than Biochem! I think that's because I kind of hate chemistry, though...
 
I would say the hardest classes I took over the three academic years were Parasitology, Pharmacology (despite being a Biochem major, that class was tough tough tough!), and Gastroenterology.

My favorite class was by far Food Animal Problem Solving during third year - there are three "Problem Solving" classes, SA, FA, and Eq. These classes are amazing and truly make you think. As a Public/Corporate tracker, I was not required to take one, but I chose to anyway and let me tell you -helped my critical thinking skills SO much for clinics.

And of course, any class you can take with Sponenberg is great 😉 Goat and Sheep Med, Reproductive Pathology, etc.

Haha oh yes, gotta do the blown up palpation sleeves!!!

Funny story:

So as we were all lined up waiting to go into the stadium, a professor from...hmmm I am not sure maybe one of the PhD areas, goes...

Prof: "So what is the significance behind these gloves?"
Vet student: "We use them when we are palpating cows"
Prof: "Oh. So do you always do this?"
(we all are struck dumb for a minute)
Vet student: "Would YOU want to go up a cow's butt without a sleeve?"
then we all busted out laughing cause he understood he meant do we always blow up sleeves are wave them hahaha....


Yeah, we were definitely the loudest bunch ha....it was rather amusing.

My boyfriend is an Animal Science masters student who grew up on a hog and cattle farm and he though the whole palpation sleeve idea was great...
 
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Roxysocks said:
So, I'm going to buy a new laptop and I was entertaining the idea of getting a Mac. However I came across something about Macs not being compatible with some of the histology slides on the CD we are required to purchase. If any current VMRCVMs are reading this, do you know of any of your classmates who have had issues with their Macs and compatibility?

...or thoughts in general about Macs vs PCs from everyone else haha?
Click to expand...

I don't anything really useful to say about mac vs pc (other than personal preference), but I am also looking at buying a new laptop for classes; looking at an Eee pc netbook since it will mostly be following powerpoints and internet browsing.

I went ahead and bought all the notes for all my classes. I shudder to think what that will cost me!
 
I have been doing a lot of research into the current laptop situation. I have also heard that mac's can conflict with some of the software/ information that we will be using is school. However, if you purchase iWork, it comes with Keynote; which is supposed to be able to import powerpoint and other types of media. I am really leaning hard toward a mac right now since my current laptop is a REALLY old Dell. But I suppose that I will still have the pc as a backup anyway if it turns out that it doesn't work.
 
I sure hope it's nothing too serious that us Mac-users can't find a way around. I just dumped a lot of money on my Mac and am head-over-heals in love with it and never want to go back to a PC!
 
I know lots of people with Macs and they don't seem to have any issues I've heard of, FWIW.
 
I'm looking forward to meeting you all in August.

Has anyone used OneNote before? What do you think about it? Do you think it will be helpful for vet school?
 
WhippetsRule said:
I'm looking forward to meeting you all in August.

Has anyone used OneNote before? What do you think about it? Do you think it will be helpful for vet school?
Click to expand...

I used OneNote the last two years for undergrad, and I found it very useful. Now how that translates to vet school, I'm not sure.

I like the organization of OneNote, but I also used the tablet on my laptop to take handwritten notes, so that may be why I enjoyed it so much. It's nice to be able to have the computer search through your handwriting for whatever words you're looking for.
 
I have Onenote on my tablet and take all my notes on it - it works pretty well. I back up all my notes online using dropbox.com, which turned out to be a great idea when my puppy chewed through my computer's power cord and I had to study for parasitology on someone else's. Otherwise I've had no problems and really love the program - I print the professor's powerpoints/PDF files directly into onenote and take all my notes right on them.
 
So are the course notes not useful? I've been trying to decide if I even need a new computer and have been thinking about a tablet. How do most people take notes?
 
i hope the notes are useful because i just ordered all of them!!
 
gilch said:
So are the course notes not useful? I've been trying to decide if I even need a new computer and have been thinking about a tablet. How do most people take notes?
Click to expand...

For some courses, the notes are just reprints of the powerpoints, which you can access online. I don't get much use out of those since all of my notes are on my computer. For other courses, the notes are different from the ones on line or are supplemental or they make up your lab manual. Those you DO need.

For the most part, the notes are useful and I'd say to order them all at this point so you can see how you like taking notes in class. Some people, like me, take ALL of their notes on the computer. Other people take all of their notes on paper - usually on the class notes, from what I've seen.

It's good to have both options at the beginning so you can see what works best for you. Computers in class can for sure be distracting. Not everyone has a computer and the people who do don't all take them to class. We do have computer access in the library. Personally, I would probably die if I didn't have internet access at home, so I definitely needed to buy one. If you're a little less attached to the computer, you can probably see how you get by without before deciding to get one.
 
I ordered all the notes because I figured that even if they aren't necessary for the class, the info may come in handy at some point. I guess I will have to re-evaluate that decision after 1st semester.

On another subject, did any of you test out of LA Husbandry? If so, was studying the text sufficient preparation for testing out or do you have other suggestions?
 
drkitty2010 said:
I have been doing a lot of research into the current laptop situation. I have also heard that mac's can conflict with some of the software/ information that we will be using is school. However, if you purchase iWork, it comes with Keynote; which is supposed to be able to import powerpoint and other types of media. I am really leaning hard toward a mac right now since my current laptop is a REALLY old Dell. But I suppose that I will still have the pc as a backup anyway if it turns out that it doesn't work.
Click to expand...

I don't know why I didn't think about this before, but I know you can run windows on your mac, so you might be able to work around issues there.
The lab computers at my old school were macs that could run the mac OS as well as windows XP. Not sure how that worked, whether it was a partitioned drive or emulator or what. Just throwing that out there!

I have had my Eee pc for a few days now and I am in love with it. I can put it in my purse! It weighs a bit less than 3 lbs. I think I will name her "Femputer," from Futurama...
 
There are definitely ways to get around the operating system conflicts that arise between PCs vs Macs and you can load Windows 7 on a Mac (I think through Bootcamp?) and run both OSs at once. I think that as long as you have Microsoft Office for Macs also loaded there shouldn't be any problems viewing or sending documents to/from PCs.

As for me, I've come to the realization that I can't spend over $1000 on a laptop right now (even though they have a promotion going that includes an 8G iTouch with any new Macbook purchase!!).

p.s. it's almost June, which means only 2 more months of work and then Blacksburg!!
 
time is inching up on us!

I signed up for my student VIN account yesterday! I finally have a VIN presence and don't have to troll using my boss's identity to read neat cases 🙂

Love the "wacky cases" section!
 
Oh sweet! I'll have to sign up for my VIN account now too 🙂

I'm getting so excited about school starting. Well, that and ending work and having a brief vacation!
 
I just wanted to bump this up! I recently got my finaid info in the mail--anybody else confused?
 
I got mine a little while ago as well...what did you have questions about?
 
Just as a sidenote: Unfortunately, finaid refund (that goes to you for housing, etc) can come slightly later @ VMRCVM - like during the first two weeks of school, not before. It POed all of us multiple times. So just plan ahead that you might not have $$ day 1.

I'll be in the Burg until the 18th when I make my insane road trip to "Tejas" 😉 So if anyone needs anything from a townie, I'm here.
 
Okay, confusing is too strong of a word... I feel like some of the info (dates and whatnot) was contradictory to other stuff I've heard--although I'm not really sure that's true.
 
Just out of curiosity, what were your GPAs, GRE scores, and experiences like for those of you that got into VMRCVM? (if you aren't shy)
 
Well, the successful applicants stats page has lots of VMRCVM stats. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494

Also last years incoming class profile is also a good place to look for stats. I hope the attachment goes through.

As for me, a more thorough profile is on the stats page, but off the top of my head, my GPA is ~3.7, my sGPA is ~3.65, and my recent GPA is ~3.55. Yep, that's a downward trend, not to be recommended. My GRE was about average--VMRCVM weights each section equally and coverts each half point to 66 points. I have over 1000 hours of vet experience with a mixed practice, plus ~200 with a research vet, plus shadowing with 3ish more. I have a great deal of experience with my own goats and horses, as well as some swine volunteer work. I also worked with a 2 research projects.


For a better idea of what VMRCVM is looking for, read this thread and this one :http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=683207&highlight=vmrcvm. Of course, the official website is pretty clear and the admissions secretary is also great and will schedule pre application meetings to discuss options, even several years ahead. http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/acad/dvm/index.asp


Good luck!
 

Attachments

Any 2nd years have any advice on this? The course syllabus for many classes lists required textbooks and then some recommended books. Did you find these "required" books to be necessary? Do you recommend having these on hand during the first week of classes? Are these all necessary even if you bought the class notes?

PS: Anyone know the date of our white coat ceremony? Would the friday of orientation week be a good assumption?
 
I asked about the white coat ceremony and the students told me it was on saturday morning... But I'm pretty certain that in the past few years its happened while I've been at work (mostly because I see them and get a little jealous). So its either Friday or Saturday morning... I'll try and ask around again.

Anyone else drawing a blank on the whole "Make a ppt slide about yourself"?
 
I know what the VMRCVM is "looking for"...........I work here. Full time. 🙂

But, I wanted some personal stories, because it's so varied. I hear students say they got in with low GPAs/whatever and then when I look at the stats, it seems like that would be unlikely.
 
flipflopper said:
Any 2nd years have any advice on this? The course syllabus for many classes lists required textbooks and then some recommended books. Did you find these "required" books to be necessary? Do you recommend having these on hand during the first week of classes? Are these all necessary even if you bought the class notes?
Click to expand...


I'm definitely wondering the same thing. I think we are getting assigned to our big-sister/brother soon so hopefully he or she will be able to shed some light on the subject haha. I'll bet there are a lot of really great anatomy books out there that aren't on the required or recommended list but are very worthwhile and helpful. The only reason I suspect this is because when I was looking at the textbooks on Amazon, I came across a shopping list that a student at VMRCVM made public and he or she literally had 10 different anatomy books/coloring books/quick guides/etc listed. It was actually really helpful--so if anyone wants to look at the list, just search "VMRCVM" on Amazon and it should come up.

I'm all about saving money on textbooks, but for those that are really worthwhile and make a difference in grasping the material, I'd throw down an extra couple hundred. After all, in the long run it'll just be a drop in the bucket haha. 🙄
 
Tobysgirl81 said:
I asked about the white coat ceremony and the students told me it was on saturday morning... But I'm pretty certain that in the past few years its happened while I've been at work (mostly because I see them and get a little jealous). So its either Friday or Saturday morning... I'll try and ask around again.

Anyone else drawing a blank on the whole "Make a ppt slide about yourself"?
Click to expand...

Oh gosh thank you for reminding me about the ppt slide thing!

And I am a total newb about some things...white coat ceremony? I assume it kinda sounds like the name 😛

My hubby and I are moving into Windsor Hills the 1st weekend of August. Looking forward to it!
 
Its pretty much the induction ceremony into the school. Put on your white lab coats and are considered "students"... So yes, lol, exactly what it sounds like 😉


If anyone wants to get together sometime before school starts, let me know! I'm in town and would love to meet up with people 🙂
 
Class notes question - we keep getting the emails that say the class notes survey ends on July 9th and to check an email. I can't recall ever getting an email about class notes...Anyone have any idea? And if you do have a copy of the email could you forward it to me? PM me and I'll give you my email address.

I'm lost, confused and now concerned.... 😛
 
Class notes- I just remember getting an email with a link that led to a survey like page where you just clicked on the classes you would like to order notes for. It did not list the price of the notes however which is interesting...

Are you missing the actual link to the survey? If so I can try to find it for you
 
I'm *such* a dork. I was missing the link flipflopper, but managed to track it down through Scholar this afternoon. Thanks though 🙂

I remembered reading the email about it, and then I guess I must have deleted it or something.... Since then, every time I read the academic affairs weekly digest I've been confused as to where to find the survey. Today while I was reading up on the mentor program (which, is anyone else planning on doing that?) I figured out that there was probably a link in Scholar.

Yes. I am going to be a doctor. Thank you for asking 😛 🙄
 
Mentor program? Is this the big brother/big sister thing or am I missing something....
 
Let me see if I can dig up the information. It came out in the last weekly "Academic Affairs Digest" email they sent out.

Here's a quote from the page flier:
"Members of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and
the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association volunteer their
time to become mentors to VMRCVM students. A veterinary
mentor is an individual who knows the challenges of veterinary
school and has successfully transitioned from student to
veterinarian. That knowledge and experience can provide
guidance and advice, resulting with a positive impact on a
veterinary student. Join us Thursday and Friday, October
14 & 15 as we kick off this year’s program!"

I found more information on Scholar (Scholar.vt.edu and login with your pid and password) under the resources --> academic affairs tab. It looks like it could be both interesting and beneficial!


​
 
I think the cost of notes will probably depend on how many people decide to order them...i was hesitant to order for every class not knowing how much they would be, but decided to bite the bullet!

The mentor program sounds really interesting and I'll bet it's great for networking...
 
Does anyone know around how much rabies vaccines cost to get them from VT?
 
I talked to a nurse at Schiffert a couple of months ago and she quoted me a price just over $200 ($206? $209?) and told me essentially that was what the vaccine cost them and as students, their services were paid for as part of our tuition.
 
Yea, I also received the same info from them...and while it may be a few $$ cheaper at my doctor's office at home, I'll have to pay for 3 separate office fees whereas at Tech there are no additional costs.
 
WhippetsRule said:
I talked to a nurse at Schiffert a couple of months ago and she quoted me a price just over $200 ($206? $209?) and told me essentially that was what the vaccine cost them and as students, their services were paid for as part of our tuition.
Click to expand...

That's awesome! I'm looking at close to $500 from the health department here! I'm SO waiting till I get down there now!

THANKS!
 
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